When I relate random things said or done by my kids, pets, library patrons, or strange people I meet, someone always asks me "When are you going to write a book?" The answer is the same for every mom - "In my spare time!"

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Monday, October 10, 2016

Review: Big Brands series from Lerner

I love Lerner's nonfiction, have I mentioned that a dozen or more times yet? Especially the junior readers - large, bright pictures, accurate text broken into eye-pleasing chunks, and sturdy binding that makes my librarian heart go pitter-pat.

This series is for older kids (middle grades), but the visuals and binding are still pleasing.

9781512405880

$26.65 (or $19.99 from Lerner right now!)

9781512405903

$26.65 ($19.99)

Other titles so far include Minecraft and Samsung. All are names that many kids in this age group knew before they realized their mother had a name besides "Mom".

Lerner's web site only had cover photos, so bear with my amateur photography here:

As you can see, the publishers make the effort to keep even the table of contents from looking dry and boring. A seventh grader who needs to write a report, and who isn't incredibly enthused about the idea, might flip this open and decide it's a little more doable.

Different fonts and 'chunking' of text help deliver a decent amount of information, without readers feeling like they are too bogged down.

Hey, I ate at that McDonald's in Mosccow! I still have a place mat from it!

Pie graphs and side bars add to the visuals as well as to the information contained. And, of course, the photographs are both visually appealing and informative. I got a kick out of the servers from many years ago standing next to the line of cars, outside the building, to take orders. No talking into a static-filled metal box! I'm not so sure we have progressed in some areas...

Something extra for the middle school teachers; both of the titles I looked at include steps and examples for creating a marketing plan. Once you have an overview of how each company was founded, and learn how it found its niche and expanded, why not try your hand at it yourself?

Who knows, you may ignite the fire of free enterprise in some of your students. Challenge them to come up with a marketing plan for something the school could do to raise money, or something they could do for extra funds for themselves. (Hmm...I remember a certain little brother selling slightly off-color t-shirts at my high school, then raising the price when the administration banned them. He is now a pretty successful adult working in marketing. But...er...you may not want to use that story as an example.)

At any rate, this looks like a solid series for a school library (middle or high school), and one that math or business teachers could have fun with in class! We will be watching to see if more titles are added to the series.